Bahá í The Bahá í Calendar
The Bahá í calendar consists of nineteen months, and each month is nineteen days long. Between the eighteenth and the nineteenth month, an additional four days (five days in leap years) are inserted to create a year of 365 days (or 366 days in leap years), the usual solar-calendar length.
The Bahá í new year begins on March 21, which is the first day of spring. The nineteen months have Arabic names given for an attribute of God, such as Knowledge, Power, Dominion, and Grandeur. Though the Bahá í calendar maintains a sevenday week, each month consists of only about two-and-a-half weeks.
Saturday is the first day of the Bahá í week. Its translated Arab name is Glory. The rest of the days of the week, in order, are Beauty, Perfection, Grace, Justice, Majesty, and Independence. Each day of the week begins at sundown and lasts until sundown of the next day, rather than midnight, as in the Western tradition. The calendar was created in March 21, 1844, marked the beginning of the Bahá í Era, or BE. Thus, 1 BE lasted from March 21, 1844, to March 20, For the Bahá ís, the year 2000 was partly 155 BE and partly 156 BE.
Levels to get nearer to an understanding of God.
Although a person can never completely understand God, he or she can understand parts of the concept of a divine being through such divine qualities as wisdom and compassion. Education is thus extremely important for Bahá ís, as it teaches these qualities. Education is emphasized not just for the study of the Bahá í faith but also for general knowledge. In fact,
Bahá ís believe that education should be required for all young people. They believe that there should be harmony between religion and science. They see no contradiction between reason and faith. Finally, Bahá ís believe that it is the responsibility of each individual to seek the truth.
The belief in the oneness of religions leads to tolerance of other faiths.
Bahá í teaches that all forms of prejudice, such as those based on religion, gender, class, and national origin, should be abandoned. Prejudice is an opinion or judgment made without informed knowledge, often resulting in hostility towards a person or group.
As an example of how this belief was put into action, in 1915 Abdu l-baha, the son of Baháu lláh, advised members of the Bahá í faithin the United States to
arrange interracial or multiethnic marriages (marriages between people of different races and ethnic groups) to further this goal of the abandonment of prejudice.
Bahá promote the adoption of an international language to encourage the unity of all humankind, and
they have become active members of the United Nations since its founding in The United Nations is an international organization formed to help nations resolve their differences peacefully. As part of their belief in creating a global community, Bahá ís also work with nongovernmental groups around the world for women s rights, education, and the environment.
They sponsor after-school projects, the building of orphanages and health clinics in rural areas, the 78 World Religions:
Bahá í establishment of
vocational programs, classes in health care, and tree-planting programs for the benefit of society. Leadership and rituals Bahá lláh did not trust ritual worship or a controlling clergy or priesthood. Thus, in the Bahá í faith, there is no regular church service and no permanent clergy.
Likewise, there are no initiation rituals to the Bahá í faith and no sacraments, ceremonies that convey spiritual blessing. The community is open to all who want to participate, but members have certain duties that must be performed. These include daily prayer, avoidance of drugs and alcohol, and the practice of monogamy, or having only one marriage partner. Parents must grant permission for a marriage before it can take place.
Bahá ís are expected to make financial contributions to the religion, but the amount is private and left up to each member. In addition,
all healthy members between the ages of fifteen and seventy are expected to fast from sunrise to sunset for the nineteen days between March 2 and March 20 that precede the new year, which begins on the first day of spring.
Sacred writings The central book of the Bahá í faith is the Kitab-i-Aqdas, or the Book of Laws. Written in 1873 by Bahá lláh, it is also called the mother book of Bahá í teachings. The book established the laws of the religion, such as the requirement of daily prayer, the lack of clergy, and dietary rules. It also discusses the administration of the religion and deals with ethical questions and prophecies, or predictions of the future. In this book u u u Bahá lláh describes the process of continual growth and evolution in religion.
Each age needs a new message; even Bahá lláh himself was to be followed by another of God s messengers in one thousand years. Earlier works from Bahá lláh include the Kitab-i-Iqan (Book of Certitude), written in both Arabic and Persian in 1862, and, according to tradition, in only two days and nights. In this book Bahá lláh continues the work of the Bab, explaining the continual unfolding of the religion and
stating that all religions are related to one another. u u Under the leadership of Abdu l-baha, Bahá í gained many new followers, particularly in the West. After his death he was buried in the Shrine of the Bab.